28 Years Later: The Bone Temple releases new trailer with twisted cult leader Jimmy Crystal at centre
Finally something to look forward to in the new year!
A new trailer for the highly anticipated 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has dropped, finally providing fans with something to look forward to in the new year.
Released today (3rd December), the trailer not only gives a glimpse at the stellar cast, some of whom are returning from 28 Years Later, but also at the chilling storyline to come.
The two-minute clip starts with Ralph Fiennes's character Dr Kelson wearing a dirty vest and covered head to toe in dried blood – quite the look. We see him in his familiar tower of bones, where he gently interacts with one of the infected while his voice speaks over the footage about his theories on the infection.
Accompanied by eerie harmonious music, the trailer then cuts to twisted cult leader Jimmy Crystal played by Sinners star Jack O'Connell and his blonde wig-wearing followers with their captive, Spike (Alfie Williams). The cult infiltrates another group of survivors who are living in a cottage akin to that in the ending of 28 Days Later.
The viewer is then fed flash clips of the torture the survivors face at the hands of the cult along with the tag line "fear is the new faith". The trailer closes with Dr Kelson and Jimmy Crystal seemingly joining forces, with O'Connell's character expressing that they're both "in a bit of a bind".
You can watch the full trailer above.
Scheduled for release in cinemas on 14th January and directed by The Marvels' Nia DaCosta, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple expands upon the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Years Later in a continuation of the story from 2002's 28 Days Later.
Speaking with Rolling Stone about making The Bone Temple, director DaCosta revealed how she wanted to separate the sequel from its predecessors.
"The thing that connects the two is that they’re both bonkers, idiosyncratic, and very artistically personal works," she shared.
"My big pitch when I was talking to the producers, including Danny and Alex, before I came on was, ‘I’m going to make this my own. I’m not going to try to make a Danny Boyle movie.’ Because that’s impossible to make. He’s so special. And it didn’t really interest me."
She added: "It’s so hard to describe the tone of the movie that I actually won’t even attempt to. But it keeps the same unique, off-the-wall, surprising energy."
While it has been confirmed that Cillian Murphy will reprise his role as Jim in the upcoming instalment in a coda scene at the very end of the film, he is not shown in the trailer at all, so we'll have to keep our eyes peeled when the movie arrives.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is coming to UK cinemas on 14th January 2026.
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Authors
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
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